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Bengaluru FC overcomes Mohammedan to qualify for the knockouts
Bengaluru FC – 3 (Jovanovic 7′, Dipu (OG) 22′, Vinith 60′) Mohammedan SC – 2 (Israfil 77′, Mahitosh 90+2)
Kolkata, August 06, 2024:
Bengaluru FC overcame ten-man Mohammedan SC in a five-goal thriller in a Group B encounter to become the first team to qualify for the knockouts of the 133rd IndianOil Durand Cup played here at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan. Bengaluru finished their group stage engagement with three wins out of three matches to top the group. Aleksandar Jovanovic and Vinith Venkatesh scored for Bengaluru while the third goal was virtue of an own goal by Dipu Halder. Israfil Dewan and Mahitosh Roy scored the goals for Mohammedan SC.
All 43 matches of the 133rd IndianOil Durand Cup will be broadcast LIVE on the Sony Sports Network (Sony Ten2 HD) as well as livestreamed on the SonyLiv OTT platform
Bengaluru FC made five changes to the starting eleven with Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Mohammed Salah, Vinith Venkatesh, Suresh Singh, and F. Lalremtluanga being brought on by Head Coach Gerard Zaragoza while Mohammedan SC Head Coach Hakim Ssengendo named a young starting eleven with Ashley Koli and Robinson Singh heading the attack.
Bengaluru took an early lead in the 7th minute from a well-worked corner. Mohammed Salah’s corner kick was deflected into the dangerous area by Chinglensana Singh and an unmarked Aleksandar Jovanovic headed in to give his side the lead. Bengaluru was looking dangerous going forward with Ryan Williams and Jorge Pereyra Diaz troubling the young Mohammedan defence. Jovanovic and Pereyra Diaz tested Mohammedan goalkeeper Shubajit Bhattacharjee, but he kept the efforts away.
The continuous pressure led to the second goal for the Blues. They caught Mohammedan off guard on a counterattack as Pereyra Diaz beat the last man and went around the keeper to see his attempt deflected in by Mohammedan defender Dipu Halder.
The Blues continued to launch attacks into the Mohammedan box, but the Kolkata side defended better and on the other hand, made some good ones of their own, but the Bengaluru backline stood strong to fend them off and keep their two-goal advantage.
Bengaluru continued from where they had left in the first half. Talisman Sunil Chhetri along with Alberto Noguera was brought in by Bengaluru as they continued to make life difficult for the Mohammedan defence. Bengaluru soon scored the third goal as Vinith Venkatesh found the top corner with a wonderful left-footed curler after Noguera won the ball high up on the pitch.
Sunil Chhetri looked lively after coming onto the pitch and set up Shreyas Ketkar and Vinith but the youngsters missed their chances to increase Bengaluru’s lead.
Mohammedan stunned Bengaluru by scoring one back against the run of play. Ashley Koli’s cross from the left wing was met brilliantly by Israfil Dewan whose glancing header beat substitute goalkeeper Lalthuammawia Ralte.
Mohammedan is down to 10 Men
Mohammedan was reduced to 10 ten men for the last 10 minutes of the game as a rash tackle by the goalkeeper Subhajit Bhattacharjee on Pereyra Diaz saw him receive a straight red card. Mohammedan had already made their permissible substitutions which led to defender Dipu Halder taking the goalkeeping gloves for the rest of the match and his contribution was to make a diving save from a free kick of Sunil Chhetri.
Mohammedan dominated possession in the last minutes of play despite being a man down and threatening going forward. Mahitosh Roy scored an absolute stunner from 40 yards out of goal, but it was not enough as Bengaluru walked away with all three points and a place in the knockouts.
Key games in Jamshedpur and Kolkata coming up tomorrow
Indian Army FT will take on Assam Rifles FT in a Group D encounter at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur, in the first match of the day with the kick-off scheduled for 4 PM. Indian Army FT will look to secure their second victory in the group to set up an eventual group decider against Jamshedpur FC. A win tomorrow will take the Army men to six points, tied with the hosts Jamshedpur, which will make the match between the two teams on August 14th, almost a qualifier. On the other hand, Assam Rifles FT will look for their first points in the group after their loss in the first outing to Jamshedpur FC.
In the second match of the day, Kolkata giants Emami East Bengal will take on Downtown Heroes FC in a Group A encounter at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan in a 7 PM kick-off. The Red and Gold Brigade will go on top of the group with six points with a win, above their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan, who will play their next match on 8th August. On the other hand, Downtown Heroes FC who achieved their historic first win in the IndianOil Durand Cup with a 2-0 win over Indian Airforce FT, will look for an upset against the Kolkata giants to make things interesting in the group.
